27.10.

2016

Test your speakers like a Cambridge Audio Engineer | Cambridge Audio

Test your speakers like a

Cambridge Audio Engineer
Whether you're new to the speaker game or been living and breathing Hi-Fi since inside
the womb, you don't buy a new audio product without putting it through its paces. So
what are the best songs to test your speakers with? There's no de nitive answer, but we
can let you in on what our engineers use for the seismically important nal tuning of our
products.

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Whether its a classic Hi-Fi test track, or the song you recognise in the rst millisecond its as familiar
to you as your own heartbeat, everyones got an opinion on which tracks help you check the quality of
any audio equipment. And quite simply, no one is wrong. The best test will always be a song you are
familiar with and have heard in as high a resolution format as possible so youll hear where the
performance excels and/or misses a trick.

The pressure builds somewhat, when the reputation of a 47 year old Hi-Fi company rests on your
shoulders, or more accurately your ears. So what tracks are spinning on the Cambridge Audio
engineering oor and why?

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Test your speakers like a Cambridge Audio Engineer | Cambridge Audio

So, lets start with the easy stu pristine, well recorded tracks. Simply put - if this doesnt sound
good, nothing will. These tracks have been recorded to such a high standard that, excuse the
blasphemy, playing them through some Apple Ear podswould verge on acceptable, so pass it through
some decentHi-Fiand theyll knock your socks o .

Steely Dan Jack Of Speed

Daft Punk Get Lucky
Crooked Still Little Sadie

Up next, trackswith wide dynamic rangeand excellent sound stages.Listen out for spatial
separation between individual instruments and vocals and feeling like your living room just turned
into the Royal Albert Hall and youre on the right track.

Radiohead/Noordpool Orchestra Weird Fishes

English Chamber Orchestra - Dido & Aeneas, Act 3: But Death, Alas!
Stevie Ray Vaughan Tin Pan Alley
The Rolling Stones - Melody

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27.10.2016

Test your speakers like a Cambridge Audio Engineer | Cambridge Audio

A hugely important but often less observed category:Foot-tap-ability.Ever listened to one of your
favourite ever tracks on a speaker but your foot remains mysteriously unmoved by it? If these tunes
dont make you twitch, run in the opposite direction. Theyre just not going to keep up.

Lou Reed Walk on the Wild Side

Winterplay Billie Jean

The Big One Bass.Irritating if theres too much, crushingly disappointing if theres too little.
De nitely the category that turns us all into the Goldilocks of the audio testing world. The following
will test your subs on long droney background bass and fast punchy bass.

Beck Morning
The Weeknd The Hills
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27.10.2016

Test your speakers like a Cambridge Audio Engineer | Cambridge Audio

Bela Fleck Flight of the Cosmic Hippo

Bass test, part deux. Can it keep up with these without getting muddy or rumbling in the low end?

Cee Lo Green Bright Lights Bigger City

Beastie Boys Brass Monkey

And lastly, our favourite category, theif you can listen to these tracks all the way through
without switching them o youre on to a winnertest. These songs pack a lot in to each track

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Test your speakers like a Cambridge Audio Engineer | Cambridge Audio

and without capable audio equipment can sound, quite frankly, a mess. So when you get them right,
thats a whole heap of audio satisfaction (and a few smug engineers).

Foo Fighters These Days

Moloko I Want You
Alabama Shakes Dont Wanna Fight
AC/DC Its a Long Way to the Top (WARNING! Contains Bagpipes, proceed with caution)

And if your speakers pass all of these tests, then stick on Queens Bohemian Rhapsody (as if that was
going to go unmentioned) kick back and ENJOY!

At Cambridge Audio, were not swayed by the sudden upsurge in EDM or the predominance of Dre in
the charts. Were still faithfully chasing the holy grail of honest, balanced sound.By testing our
sound against a highly diverse and challenging track list we make sure all those with schizophrenic
music tastes, i.e. most humans, are well catered for.So when it comes to testing any new kit (and
were understanding creatures, it might not all be from us *sobs quietly*) we want to make sure you
have some good test tracks at your ngertips so you can invite only the best possible sound quality
into your life.

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27.10.2016

Test your speakers like a Cambridge Audio Engineer | Cambridge Audio

Next time youre comparing the sound of some magni cent new oorstanders, an up sampling
network streamer or even a new portable Bluetooth speaker, test it like a Cambridge Audio Engineer.

Keith Don't Go (Live)

Nils Lofgren
Speaker Testing Tracks von Cambridge Audio

Keith Don't Go (Live)

5:41

Melody - Remastered 2009

5:49

Roxane

3:32

Angel

4:30

Corcovado

3:48

Little Fly

3:33

Tin Pan Alley (AKA Roughest Place in Town)

Nils Lofgren

The Rolling Stones

Petra Magoni, Ferruccio Spinetti

Sarah McLachlan
Jim Tomlinson, Stacey Kent
Esperanza Spalding
Stevie Ray Vaughan

9:11

Wed love to know your thoughts on these and what your test tracks are so add your comments below
and in the meantime Happy Listening.

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